The Fusion's official range is 620 miles, 21 of those on electricity alone. Electric-only top speed is an impressive 85 mph, meaning silent highway cruising.

That means the Fusion Energi offers better electric range than the Toyota Prius Plug-In (11 miles) and Honda Accord Plug-In (13 miles), but less than the range-extended Chevrolet Volt.

The figures in hybrid mode also lag behind those of the Prius and Accord plug-ins, the former managing 50 mpg combined, the latter 46 combined. The Accord plug-in also offers greater blended efficiency, with an official 115 MPGe.

The Volt, for comparison, gets 98 MPGe in electric mode, and 37 combined on gasoline for the 2013 model year--but as any Volt owner is sure to tell you, the near-40 mile electric range provides the opportunity for some spectacular gas station avoidance--more so than its rivals can offer.

So where does that leave the Ford? Electrically, in a better position than its rivals, though the Prius may still rule on long, gasoline-fueled journeys.

On price, the less sophisticated Toyota is still cheapest at $32,000, followed by the $39,145 Volt, $39,495 Ford and $39,780 Honda.

The choice may come down to how they each drive, and how many miles of electric range you require--but there's no doubt that the choice of competitive plug-in hybrids is improving all the time.

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